Associate Student Inc. President Christopher Chavez spoke about the budget cut crisis at the Speaker’s Platform Wednesday in an effort to persuade students to join the battle.
Chavez said that amidst the budget struggle, students have had to make sure they are heard. He said this could be done by using other methods that have not been employed, such as filling out cards for the state Legislature and taking part in student protests and campaigns.
He also spoke about what ASI has done so far amidst assumptions that nothing has been done on behalf of the student body.
According to Chavez, ASI started the More than Numbers campaign two weeks ago.
The campaign was set up for California State University students to propose new ways of getting their voices heard.
The More than Numbers campaign is expected to feature a series of events. Students can participate in “vent tents” and a postcard-writing campaign, for example. By the end of the semester, student leaders will take the postcards to Sacramento.
The campaign began Feb. 24 with a flash mob to create a visual understanding of the frustration caused by budget cuts. Students took form in a shape of the number one.
ASI’s goal in launching the campaign is to create a greater unified coalition. By the end of the semester, Sacramento will have “something that legislators will pay attention to,” said Christina Esparza, communications coordinator.
“The difference between students and lobbyists is money,” Esparza said. She said students may lack money but can get legislators’ attention through strength in numbers.
“But if you go in there, showing how there are thousands [of students] that are being affected by this, it would, and should, be overwhelming,” Esparza said. “We’ll force them to listen!”
Chavez said that the presence of this sort of campaign would initiate a more powerful cause if students could more easily be involved.
“We’re bringing the movement to them,” Chavez said.
Students can also participate in the letter-writing campaign anytime using postcards available in the AS Government office.
“We want to give students to have a voice-only opportunity in this budget battle,” Chavez said. “[Students] need to show Sacramento that their so-called solutions are not working.”
ASI has also allocated $65,000 in grant funding from the city of Long Beach toward Beach TV to establish more of a campus-community relationship, Chavez said.
According to Chavez, the Timely Graduation Policy will be discussed among the Academic Senate next week. If passed, it will reduce the number of units students need to take in order to graduate on time.
“Because of cuts, there is less room for students to graduate,” Chavez said.
Most importantly, he said, students should not let opportunities pass them by. He referred to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s recent proposal for a $300 million budget increase to the CSU. He said students should take this chance to extend their efforts to make the proposal pass.
“There will always be work to do,” he said.
Civil engineering major Jeff Desantis said he thinks Chavez’s ideas are good but might not be applied by students.
“Students don’t know how to take that first step to help,” he said.
Paul Hawthorne, 25, said students need to take a bigger initiative in the budget battle.
“ASI can only do so much,” he said.
Chavez finished his speech by vowing to make sure students are heard as he travels to Sacramento next month, along with six ASI representatives, to speak to lawmakers on behalf of Cal State Long Beach.
He said, “To them, we are a series of numbers, but we are more than numbers.”